Ghost month

Nora Soriño .

ILIGAN City–The month of August is believed by many  as “ghost month.” It is said that during this time, many ghosts roam about in this mortal world of ours and they have to be appeased.

During this time, too, business is not very good. And you have to refrain from making major business decisions or else. They say the period is from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9.

I only believe a little on the “ghost month.” That’s out of respect to the believers. But I believe so much in “ghost employees,” “ghost projects,” and whatever ghosts out there, like the ghost barangays in Manila in which it is said, there are 27 of them.

Mayor Celso Regencia, and the other city officials like acting mayor Jemar Vera Cruz and the city councilors also believe so much in ghost employees. In fact, they had projected themselves as “ghost busters” and they are capable of exorcising  the ghosts that spook city hall. So, Regencia and the rest of his ticket mostly won on that promise.

Just recently then, he still talked of “ghost employees” courtesy of the “previous admin.”

But now, the tables are turned against them. Maybe, with the millions of moolah in the budget, Regencia, the Sangguniang Panlungsod and the rest of his team can’t resist being friendly with “ghosts.” So now it seems they’re now  the object of “ghost busting”! Like, were there ghosts that ate so much of beef randang, pork chop, hawaiian hamburger, fish fillet? To the tune of P450 per “ghost”?

Lawyer Dino Quijano and Norberto Altres did not say that they are ghostbusters. But many people think so. For example, they said that at one time, there was,  in a forum facilitated by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the  budget was P42,000. There were 95 attendees who were senior citizens per records they had with them. This was in June 11 of this year.

There was another similar forum with the same budget with the same attendees, but this time only 89 were recorded. And the randang became brisket; sotanghon was also served, along with the rest of the menu. This was, per record, they say. But, were these fora full of, ah, “ghosts?”

This year’s budget is P2 billion, they say, with 45 percent of the total budget going to the executive and the legislative. For example, they say, executive support services is P 30 million; MOOE or Maintainance and Operating Expenses, P197 million; capital outlay, P110 million; maintainance and other operating expenses, P2 million; other supplies and materials, P270,000; representation expenses, P234,000; repairs and maintenance, P4 million; confidential/intelligence, P21 million; other maintenance and operating expenses P10 million; executive support services, P30 million.

Agriculture, they say, has only P17 million; city vet, P40 million; cooperative development and livelihood, P9 million.

For the SP, committee services were given P30 million; legislative support services, the amount of so many millions escapes me now. Was it P30 million? P40 million? Or any other million?

On Dec. 29, 2017, there was also a forum which entailed P4.3 million — there were 44 lechon. Forty-four! The “ghosts” that ate them had consumed that much? And what was that about?

Maybe there really was a forum as Jane, a friend had been at city hall at that date and she said there were plenty of lechon that she was told, were donations. (Now I recall too that at about that beefy time, there were some “lugaw” available at the time at the city public plaza and the ones who served them said they were courtesy of the acting mayor. )

Some say this was a “birthday” of some bigwig there at Buhanginan although I don’t believe it totally. I mean, the Dec. 29 affair.

“Makalifong!” said the “ghost busters.” Meaning one can get dizzy with how all these ah, friendliness with ghosts there at city hall are eating up the budget. So, “katawhan alagaran”? As they say it in a cliche, “Tell that to the marines.”

To get the picture, if the total budget is P2 billion and the executive and legislative get almost 50 percent (45, the busters say) then they have P1 billion to play with. Meaning, they really have to be friendly with ghosts! Meaning, even if it’s not August, every month is a ghost month.

There are really plenty of ghosts and demons in our midst. And I doubt if all these can be remedied by a creature called federalism. This would only embolden those who are with the local government as they would become more powerful and more moneyed. So, how do we exorcise them ghosts and demons in our midst?

Before parting, let me repeat this cliche: “I have seen the enemy and the enemy is myself.”

Need we say more?